Macclesfield Town chairman Mark Blower has revealed there will be a sizeable transfer budget available this summer – and he wants John Askey at the helm to spend it.

The Silkmen missed out on the Conference Premier play-off spots by one place, and Blower hopes that a bigger budget can help his side go one step better next season.

“I am delighted to say that we will be able to go in to next season with a substantially bigger player budget than we started the 2014/15 season with,” he said.

“The supporters have played a big part in this with their fantastic response to season tickets so far. Season-ticket sales are set to comfortably exceed the number that we reached last year and not only will this benefit the playing budget, but it is sure to give us the best possible chance of continuing our formidable record at the Moss Rose.

“After such a great season it would have been fantastic to end up in the top five, but unfortunately it just wasn’t to be.

“The priority for the club is to keep as many of this group of players together as possible and we will be announcing the ‘retained list’ over the coming days.

“Of course a crucial part of keeping that momentum going in to next season, is retaining John Askey as first-team manager.

“He has understandably been linked with a number of other jobs, but I’m sure he feels the job is unfinished at the Moss Rose and he has rightly been offered an enhanced contract.”